This invention is for a launching system, method of use, and umbilical termination assembly usable with subsea wells and Christmas trees and related subsea equipment used in the offshore oil and natural gas industry. The invention has the advantage of being able to test and control subsea equipment in series without the need to bring the testing or control equipment, such as an umbilical termination assembly, to the surface after each test or control period.
The present invention has been created to provide a method of safely launching and using an umbilical termination assembly for a series of tests or control situations under water.
The present invention specifically relates an umbilical termination assembly, which can be used to continually perform subsea Christmas tree testing and control while maintained in a submerged situation.
The invention solves a long felt need for a launch system which can be mounted on a floating vessels or even a platform, such as a tension leg platforms (TLP), a deep draft caisson vessels (SPAR), a fixed platforms, a compliant towers, semisubmersible vessels, or other floating vessels and used to launch and retrieve subsea equipment, such as an umbilical termination assembly.
The invention relates to a launch system for use in controlling subsea equipment, comprising: a winch mounted on a vessel; a movable boom mounted near the winch on the vessel for receiving cable from the winch and guiding that cable to a subsea tool; at least one reel mounted near the moveable boom on the vessel for storing at least one optical conductor, electrical conductor or hydraulic conductor; at least one sheave disposed on the movable boom for guiding the cable to the subsea tool; at least one actuator mounted on the vessel for pivoting the moveable boom from a pre-deployed position to a deployed position; a power system mounted on the vessel for the at least one optical conductor, electrical conductor or hydraulic conductor when engaged with the subsea equipment which can be used for recovery of the subsea tool after controlling of the subsea equipment.
The invention also relates to a UTA which comprises: a lift point; a connector connected to the lift point; a guide surrounding the connector; a housing connected to the guide, and further wherein the housing comprises: a mandrel for engaging the connector and at least one interface for connecting between a member of the group: an electrical umbilical, a fiber optic cable, and a hydraulic umbilical; a plurality of flying leads connected to the housing; a base connected to the housing, and an emergency quick disconnect connected to the mandrel, comprising a hydraulic connector which engages hydraulic pistons which can then disengage a plurality of locking dogs, enabling the hydraulic connector to disengage from the UTA.
Finally the invention relates to a method of lowering a UTA or similar subsea tool to subsea equipment for control and or testing using a movable boom wherein the method comprises the steps of: (1) connecting the UTA to a hydraulic conductor connected to a hydraulic system; (2) connecting the UTA to an electric conductor connected to a power system; (3) connecting the UTA to an optical conductor connected to an optical communication system; (4) removably connecting the UTA to a winch cable which is connected to a winch wherein the winch cable passes through a sheave mounted on a moveable boom in a predeployment position, wherein the boom is mounted on a vessel; (5) simultaneously, picking up the UTA using the winch, and moving the moveable boom with an actuator from the moveable boom""s predeployment position to a deployed position; (6) performing a controlled descent of the UTA from the vessel to subsea equipment using the winch; (7) disconnecting interfaces from the UTA and attaching flying leads to the subsea equipment; (8) controlling and testing the subsea equipment via the UTA from the vessel; and (9) disengaging the interfaces from the subsea equipment, once control and testing is complete, for use on a subsequent subsea equipment.